Escaflowne  Return of the Winged Goddess
by Kohane-x
Summary: 4 Years have passed since Hitomi's return; now at 19 recurring visions are starting to worry her. How will she warn Van? Meanwhile a new enemy of the Zaibach Empire wants to continue what was started 4 years ago. How will it all end?
1. Chapter 1  Dreams

Before I you begin to read this, I would like you to read this with the English adaptation voices in your head. I know that some of the fans prefer the Japanese voices, but I grew up with the English and feel that this should be read in that way.

I think that the voices really suit the characters in the English adaptation. I usually prefer the Japanese voices over English, but in this case please imagine the English voices.

I would also like to note that I prefer to spell Van's name as "Vaughn" and not Van. It's the exact same name, but I prefer to spell it similar to the way it is said :)

I would also like you to picture Vaughn with the personality as he did in the series, and not the blood thirsty personality he had in the movie. However now that it has been 4 years, he looks like he did in the movie and his is allot more musculature and taller. So same personality as the series, looks like the movie! Get it? :)

Hitomi looks like she did in the series, and has the same happy personality as she did in the series too. I don't like the whole 'wanting to die' personality she has in the movie. Since it's been 4 years she now looks a little bit taller and mature and with _**slightly**_ longer hair.

When I get the time I will upload a link to pictures of the way I see them in my head :)

Enjoy and review please!

Escaflowne - Return of the Winged Goddess

Chapter 1 - Dreams

April 2nd, 2000.

I sighed as I continued to right on my note book, a normal day in normal Tokyo, a normal day on Earth. Four years to this date have passed since I first visited Gaea. I began to bite the top of my pen as I stared into the wall ahead of me. My professor was just babbling on about stuff that I didn't really want to know, but I'm stuck with it now, journalism. I decided to choose it because I wanted to get better at writing, I wanted people to know my story of Gaea, become an amazing author, even if they didn't believe me.  
>The whole class was silent; all you could hear was the sound of pens on paper and that ticking clock that just never seemed to move. I was bored, bored beyond my mind. I decided that I couldn't hand in a piece of work with only two lines on it, so pen to paper I began to write.<br>The bell rang to signal end of the day, how I was looking forward to that.

I stood up with my bags and handed my work to my professor.  
>"Miss Kanzaki, I usually have a lot more to mark from you than this." She slowly moved the glasses from the bridge of her nose down and had that 'intelligent' look on her face. She was young, had pale skin and short black hair, and eyes that where emerald green that pierced through anything she looked at. She was pretty and slim; it made me wonder why she became a professor and not a model. She looked at me, trying to figure out what was going on in my mind. I looked at her and smiled weakly.<br>"Nothings the matter, just tired from working on the essays from the other night, that's all!" A lie.

"Well, at least you're not slacking off then!" she replied  
>"Of course not!" another lie.<br>I walked towards the door and threw my bag across my shoulder and began the long walk home.  
>It was 6pm, dark and cold. How I hate the dark, and the cold. Today was just one of those days, nothing seems to go right, everything seems to go slower, and nothing seems to make me smile. I missed Gaea, and that was it.<p>

I often wondered what Gaea was like now, it's been four years so allot of the re-building would have been completed by now. I wondered if Millerna ever got re-married, or married Alan for that matter. Alen, I paused. Alen Shizar, such a wonderful knight. I wonder how he is, and his little sister Selena. I wonder if Asturia and Fanelia had been rebuilt and if everyone was happy now. I thought about Merle and her little cat ears; she'd be a lot taller now, and the one person who I think about all the time, that one person who I miss most of all Vaughn Fanel. The King of Fanelia. How I miss you. But as if I would be fit for a king. I sighed and plodded on home.  
>I eventually arrived home, opened the door to the smell of my mother's cooking. I threw my bag on the floor and staggered upstairs towards my bedroom.<p>

"HITOMI!" the screech was coming from my room.  
>A young girl, with long red hair stood at my bedroom door, it was Yukari. She had changed allot too in four years.<br>"Yukari! What on earth are you doing here? I thought you were in England!" I replied with a shocked look on my face.  
>"Duh! I'm here to see you! I have a few weeks off so I decided to come home!"<br>She had a huge smile on her face and her eye's where lit up with excitement.  
>"But what about Amano? Did you come home with him?"<br>"Nah, his mom wanted to go and see what England was like, so she's staying with him for a few weeks, anyway! I have it all planned!"  
>"Have what planned?" by this time I was worried, usually when Yukari says something like that, she has something extreme that she wants to try out. I looked at her and couldn't help but smile.<br>"I'm going to stay here for a few days because my mom is out of town and I have a million things that we are going to do!"

She grabbed my hands and pulled me into my bedroom which she had already rearranged. She had all of her home comforts in there, I couldn't believe it. It was like she just moved in; she even had her own bed made up already. She began to tell me about all the exciting things that we were going to do. Shopping and camping and nature walks and most importantly on her list, finding me a boyfriend. She was determined to find me one. I usually just went along with it so I wouldn't have her monologuing to me about 'moving on' and 'you'll never go back' kind of thing. Over the next few hours we talked about her studies in England and my boring life here in Tokyo. I started to feel light headed and a little sick, but I just assumed it was because I was tired.

I looked over at my clock, 3am. It was late and both of us where really tired. I turned off the light, rested my head on my pillow and closed my eyes.

I was standing on a balcony, and there was hundreds, no thousands of people staring at me. Wait no, not me. They are all looking at something next to me. It was a person, a male. Tall, dark hair, sword. Could it be Vaughn? No. Can't be him, he's too tall to be Vaughn.

Then it went black. I checked my surroundings; I was in a field now. Black and red colours flashed in front of my eyes. Cries of men fighting and tall figures in the distance, I could feel the heat around me, the smell of fire and blood started to get thicker. Smoke surrounded me and black ash covered my uniform. A light flashed in front of my eyes and the sound of swords clashed. Blood followed and white began to cover the floor.

I stared in front of me, trying to figure out who it was who was fighting. "Hitomi" rang in the air. My name, he said my name. I looked closer at the man who lay dying on the floor. It was Vaughn. It was Vaughn.  
>"VAAUUGGHHNN!" I screamed, tears streaming down my face as I called his name. I ran towards him, but no matter how hard I tried, he just got further and further away.<br>"VAUGHN!" but this time nothing. My voice wouldn't work. Tears poured from my eyes as I watched blood pour from his body. I shrieked with frustration and attempted to run towards him again, and then I heard my name.


	2. Chapter 2  Old Wives Tales

**Hi everyone! Thank you for reading chapter one! This chapter is considerably longer than the first. To be honest the first one I just wanted to get it out there without actually thinking much about it! I hope you enjoy this one! **

**I have changed the spelling of Vaughn back to Van as it was confusing for people to read, and to be honest I kept forgetting to spell it that way anyway! Haha**

**This chapter, the writing style has changed a little bit. It's just because it is a description of what is happening in Gaea. I still want it to be in Hitomi's point of view, this just seemed like the best way to go about it! **

**Please review and enjoy!**

**Chapter 2 – Old wives tales**

"Hitomi... Hitomi!" it was Yukari, she was shaking my shoulder in attempt to wake me up. I put my hand on hers.

"I'm fine Yukari, don't worry." I smiled weakly and turned towards her

"After all, it was just a dream right?" She looked at me, not convinced that it was a dream, then again, neither was I.

"I'm not convinced Hitomi, your mother told me that this would probably happen. You've been having a lot of dreams like this lately haven't you? Or are they dreams?" I looked down towards the floor and then to the draw of my desk.

"I gave up fortune telling four years ago Yukari, but that doesn't mean that the ability to see the future went away. When I was in Gaea it was stronger, and the only time it's ever been this strong here was just before I went to Gaea. My cards are in that desk over there, and haven't been touched since I came back. I just know what ever the top card is isn't good. Something bad is happening Yukari, or is about too. I have to get to Gaea and warn Van."

...

Gaea.

"HAAA! HUN!...I.. have to get... stronger!" "HAAAA!" Van stabbed his sword into the ground and put his weight on the handle to catch his breath, as he knelt down sweat dropped from his face and a light shone on the small red pendant that was around his neck. "Hitomi..."

"Van Fanel." Said a voice coming from the doorway.

"LORD VAN!"

"Merle, what are you doing here?" The young cat girl started swinging around his neck, but she was a lot heaver than she used to be. She smiled at him, licked the back of her hand and cleaned her ear.

"To see you Lord Van! We arrived back from Asturia. All you ever seem to do now is train and there's no need to anymore. I saw you more when we had all of those battles four years ago than I do now. You have to give yourself a break once in a while!"

She let go of his neck except this time she couldn't just drop onto the floor, she just stud. She was now tall enough to stand and put her arms around Van's neck. She was no longer in her little orange dress, but in an orange two piece belly top and skirt along with her usual sandals.

Van looked over at the warrior standing in the doorway. It was Alen Shizar.

"What brings you here Alen?" said Van. The knight's blue eyes were enough to explain his reason for being there. Van wiped the sweat from his forehead and put his sword back in its holder. He followed the knight with Merle attached to his arm. Alen and Van walked down a hallway of guards in nothing but science. Merle could feel the tension in the air, something was wrong and she wasn't going to wait around to find out. They continued to walk down the hall way and into the main study room of the castle and out towards the balcony.

"The Mystic moon is at its closest to Gaea Van." Alen looked up towards the sky and then towards Van's face. "We both know what that means don't we?"

Merle looked confused and started tugging on Van's arm.  
>"What does it mean Lord Van? Is something bad going to happen again?" And then she fell silent. She looked towards the ground and then pulled an awkward face.<p>

"It's that Hitomi girl isn't it? She's coming back isn't she? Or is it something worse?" Van stared at the cat girl with confusion.

"I don't know Merle, I need to speak to Alen, go and find Princess Millerna and the others and bring them here when you do please." Merle scowled and sighed and started to walk out of the room.

Van looked over to Alen who was staring out towards the kingdom.

"Fanelia has been re-built well Van. You should be proud of your people and kingdom. Everyone has worked hard to achieve this." Van stared at the knight.

"Why are you really here Alen? There must be a reason for you to come so far. I've noticed the Mystic moon's presents for some time now. Hitomi's not coming back Alen, I've figured that one out on my own." Van stared at the floor and touched the pendant around his neck.

"Van, that's not what I came to talk about. Do you remember how long after the Mystic moon began to look like this four years ago and trouble came to this world? Six months. The Mystic moon only looks like this when something's about to happen. Gaea has easy access to it at the moment. Something IS going to happen Van. I can feel it." The knight gripped his sword and began to shake.

Van looked at the knight and couldn't believe what he was saying.

"Since when did you start to believe in old wives tales Alen? The Zaibach Empire is long gone, Hitomi and I destroyed it, don't you remember? Nothing is going to happen to Gaea Alen. Don't be so superstitious." That wasn't what the knight wanted to hear.

"Is that so Van? So tell me, why have you been training so much lately? This past year or so you haven't stopped." Alen replied. Van didn't look too happy with his answer.

"I've been training because I need to protect my people Alen; I never want Fanelia to ever have such a heavy burden again."

"Ahh so you do think something is going to happen but just won't admit it." Alen let go of his sword and looked into the eyes of the King.

"I hope Escaflowne is up to shape, after all this hard work re-building too. Like you said Van, no more heavy burdens" Van looked at the knight. His blue eyes began to grow dull, as if he just relived the past and saw the great wars before him.

"Escaflowne and its Drag-energist are still where I left them four years ago Alen. They are symbols of war. Escaflowne is a powerful Guymelef and if the location of it was told to anyone, Fanelia would be in danger once more, and they would have no King to protect it. Escaflowne sleeps and will do until the time comes. You haven't been practicing with Scherezade have you?" Alen didn't reply straight away. Something was bothering him, but something told Van not to ask what it was. He looked at Van. His eyes grew angrier as he gave off an uninviting aura.

"Practicing? Van this could be another war! Of course I have. You can't rely on Escaflowne's greatness to assume that if you where to pilot it right now you'd be as good as you where four years ago. You may have become an amazing swordsman within that time, but with no training in a Guymelef, what King are you to protect his country?"

Van's eyes filled with rage as he clenched his sword.

"What King am I? How dare you question me Alen! I have rebuilt my kingdom and do all I can to protect it. Escaflowne is not needed in times of peace, and like you said that was four years ago and I am a better swordsman now, if I were to pilot Escaflowne now I wouldn't be as good as I used to be, but it would take me less than half the time it did last time to get up to scratch!" Van looked over at Alen. He seemed to have calmed down He must have realised what he had said to upset Van.

"I am sorry Van. I'm just worried that's all. At least if we did go to war, you'd probably see Hitomi again."

"Hitomi? If she where to come back, I wouldn't want her to return the way she left. Gaea is a happy place now I'd want her to see the real Fanelia, the real Gaea without the conflict."

Van looked up towards the Mystic moon and then walked towards a chair that was located in the corner of the room. He laid his sword on the floor, sat in the chair and put his hands clasped behind his head. Alen walked over to the chair opposite and sat down.

It was quiet. The sound of the ticking clock filled the stagnant air between them. The tension was still there. Van thought about Gaea and how it used to be, how his mother would have liked to see the new Fanelia and his father that would have become so proud of his kingdom. He thought of his brother and the sadness of his black feathers that surrounded him when he last saw him. He'd be in a better place now. They all would be. Van looked over at Alen. His hands where clasped together with his elbows on his knees and his chin on his knuckles. He was deep in thought, probably thinking of similar things. They have both in the past fought hard for what they have now.

A knock on the door broke Van's concentration, and before he could even welcome in the visitor, the door opened. Two women and a young boy, followed by Merle walked in, one the third princess of Asturia and the other the sister of the Knight of Calie.

"Selena, Millerna" Van said as the two women walked in with elegance.

Alen snapped out of his trance and looked up towards his family. Selena no longer resembled her former self. She was a quiet and caring young woman, only spoke when spoken too and kept everything to herself. Millerna helped allot during these past four years. Without her, Selena would be nothing more than insane.

"How nice to see you, I hope your well King Van. I see you still wear the pendant Hitomi gave you."

Van smiled at the princess, "Of course"

"Selena and I where just looking for you both. Van I was told preparations for dinner would be ready soon."

"Thank you Millerna." With that Van saw something tugging on Millerna's dress. It was a young boy, no more than 3 years old. He had short blonde hair like his mothers and dark blue eye's like his fathers. He wore navy blue robes with gold trimmings and a golden hat to match. He had his father's facial features, but his mother's eyes. The boy was the future king of Asturia and the son of a knight of Calie. The boy looked up to his mother and continued to tug on her dress to capture her attention. She picked him up and placed him on her hip.

"Leon, how many times have I told you not to interrupt a conversation?" she said softly.

"Sorry mother. But I am hungry! Is dinner ready?" The boy looked at his mother's face and smiled.

Alen stud from his chair and walked towards his wife and son. He pecked Millerna on her cheek and picked up his son and held him.

"Now then" Said Alen to his son. "Has my son been behaving himself while I've been talking to Van?"

The boy looked up at his father and smiled a mischievous smile. Millerna answered the question.

"He has my rebellious personality, but he has been good, haven't you Leon?"

Alen looked over towards Van.

"Van, we'll discuss this another day, if that's alright with you my King?"

Van glanced over at Alen and nodded his head slightly to approve of his gesture. The family walked out of the room and headed for the dining room. Merle watched the family walk out and smiled.

"Lord Van, do you think we'll ever have a family like that?" She walked over to Van as he stud at the balcony and looked up towards the Mystic moon. She put her arms around his and leaned on his shoulder.

"Of course we will Merle, it's out there somewhere. It's just a matter of finding it."

Dinner was served not long after and throughout the conversations of the meal, Van was distant and not very talkative.

"I'm going to bed everyone. Thank you for having dinner with Merle and I Alen, Millerna, Selena and Leon. I will see you all tomorrow morning." Van walked out of the dining room and headed for his quarters. Merle stud to follow,

"Lord Van, wait!" She felt a tug on her tail, it was Millerna.

"I think you should leave him Merle. He needs his space" The young cat girl returned to her chair frowning and continued to eat her meal. She didn't like to see Van so unhappy.

Darkness had soon filled Fanelia and Van couldn't sleep no matter how hard he tried. He threw back his bed covers and walked towards his balcony. He closed his eyes and inhaled the fresh air that was pouring into his room. The light of the two moons lit up his bed room and made the kingdom of Fanelia glow. Van looked out towards his kingdom with pride.

He then threw away his red shirt and looked up towards a small roof that was above his balcony.

He could still feel the tension in the air that lingered from the conversation him and Alen had earlier that day. He stood proud, closed his eyes, stretched his body and unleashed his beautiful wings. Feathers scattered all around him as the pendant around his neck reflected the light from the Mystic moon. He took a deep breath and jumped into the air. Van soared through the sky, scanning his kingdom. He landed on top of a church tower and looked back towards his palace. His gripped his necklace.

"Hitomi, if only you could see the Fanelia that I have rebuilt, the Gaea that is at peace and the happiness that spreads across this world."

He then flew up as high as he could, as if he was trying to reach the Mystic moon.

He missed Hitomi and really wanted to see her again. Even if it was for just a brief second, her warmth and smile was enough to make him feel better no matter what was bothering him.

He escalated higher and higher until the air was too thin to breathe. He then switched his angle and darted towards the ground.

As he fell Hitomi's pendant began to shine and there she was. She was right in front of him, falling. Van blinked hard and then rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't just seeing things.

"VAAANN!"

"She's screaming, it's her! Hitomi! HITOMI!" Van flew faster and faster in attempt to reach her before it was too late. He held out one arm and almost touched the end of her fingers. Then she disappeared. "Hitomi? Hey where'd you go? HITOMI?"

The floor was quickly becoming more visible to Van as he was still darting towards the floor. He slowed down but not enough to completely stop before hitting the floor. He rolled across the floor and scrapped he shoulders until he stopped. He was startled and confused. He looked up towards the mystic moon one arm on his shoulder and the other on the pendant Hitomi gave him.

"Hitomi... please be safe!"


End file.
